NAS Meridian Hosts Joint MWD Homemade Explosive Training
Naval Air Station (NAS) Meridian hosted a Homemade Explosives (HME) Training for local and state civilian agencies as well as fellow military installation’s canine units, August 28. The goal of the training was to broaden and sharpen the canine’s ability to detect explosive materials.
FBI Special Agent Bomb Technicians provided HME samples and conducted the training. The FBI conducts these types of trainings quarterly at a location that is willing to host, and other agencies are invited to participate to meet their individual training requirements.
“We have Mississippi Highway Patrol, Tupelo Police Department, FBI, NAS Pensacola and NAS Meridian”, said Master at Arms 1st Class Kyle Shields, when asked about who was in attendance at the training.
The training began at one of NAS Meridian’s Security Forces facilities, where the canine teams were introduced to live samples of homemade explosive materials. This initial phase allowed the dogs to become familiar with the target odors before progressing into more complex search scenarios. Odor imprinting is the process of teaching a canine to recognize a specific target odor and develop a reliable, trained response when that odor is detected.
“This training exposes the dogs to additional compounds that they may see out in the everyday world,” Shields explained. “The more exposure the dogs get to what we call, training aids, the more prepared they are in those real-world situations.”
Once the smell was imprinted, the canine handlers and their dogs moved inside the building for more complex searches. These searches include hiding the live materials under desks, in cabinets, and other various locations. The canines would then search the area and alert their handlers by sitting when they detected the HME.
Periodic training with homemade explosive materials is a requirement for the NAS Meridian Military Working Dog Program; this specialized training is conducted by the FBI in accordance with current instruction.
“The training was a good learning experience; we never trained with the FBI before. It is a great tool that will help us in real world situations. I can’t be grateful enough for the time they [FBI] took out of their day to help us train,” remarked Corporal Reginald Spencer, when asked about how the training benefited the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
Trainings sessions like these help to not only enhance our MWD’s abilities, but to also strengthen our relationships with local law enforcement and keep our communities safe.
